NEWS WAITAKI HERALD, AUGUST 20, 2014 3 close to 40 years is backing the report which found the school to be at a ‘‘point of crisis.’’ The report’s conclusion was rejected by the school’s Board of Trustees but supported by former staff member Graham Kitchin, who taught at the school for 38 years before leaving in 2012. He describes the report as ‘‘worrying’’. ‘‘I left because I was convinced Report criticisesWBHSboard A By DANIEL BIRCHFIELD daniel.birchfield@waitakiherald.co.nz former staff member who taught at Waitaki Boys’ High School (WBHS) for things weren’t going to get better and they haven’t,’’ he said. ‘‘I wasn’t surprised by any of the major concerns . . . I think it’s a great shame the board hadn’t recognised a lot earlier what some of these problems were . . . it’s not just me who thinks that.’’ Kitchin doesn’t have confidence in the school’s current board members and believes they should resign. He hoped a visit from the Edu- cation Review Office, which took place last week, would help. ‘‘I think there’s been a pretty far-reaching report produced . . . the Ministry have got a close eye on it, so hopefully the outcome from that will be that the situation is resolved.’’ No surprises: Former Waitaki Boys’ High School staff member Graham Kitchin has backed a report into issues at the school. Damning: An independent report into issues at Waitaki Boys’ High School has uncovered several serious issues. An edited report, compiled by independent adviser and educational consultant Cleave Hay, was released by the board on Friday. In his report, Hay was critical of the school’s board. ‘‘In my opinion WBHS is cer- tainly at point of crisis and needs immediate and comprehensive commitment to rectifying a number of significant risks,’’ he says. ‘‘The Board of Trustees . . . must take the leadership role of alleviating the serious concerns contained in this report. ‘‘If these are left unattended there is a very high likelihood of seriously negative affects in student achievement, student welfare, staff welfare, staff turnover, plus health and safety complaints and personal grievances. ‘‘The school’s reputation and roll numbers are also seriously at risk.’’ WBHS board of trustees chair- man Garry McLeod says the board was focused on moving forward. ‘‘Although the board took issue with some aspects of the report, all of the report’s recommenda- Onus on board of troubled school to act – ministry By DANIEL BIRCHFIELD daniel.birchfield @waitakiherald.co.nz The Ministry of Education will consider ‘‘statutory intervention’’ if the Waitaki Boys’ High School board of trustees is unable to effectively resolve issues highlighted in a critical report. A redacted report, compiled by educational adviser Cleave Hay, was publicly released by the school board last week. In the report, Hay identified several serious issues the school’s board needed to resolve. ‘‘In my opinion WBHS is cer- tainly at point of crisis and needs immediate and comprehensive commitment to rectify a number of significant risks,’’ he says. Ministry of Education head of sector enablement and support Katrina Casey says Hay’s report is ‘‘consistent’’ with concerns raised directly with the ministry. ‘‘We consider that the matters identified in the report require urgent action and will continue to monitor the school board’s actions. ‘‘The board has supplied us with a list of people who will take responsibility for addressing the individual recommendations and time frames for completion.’’ The ministry has requested an action plan and monthly progress reports from the board. Casey says if the board is unable to meet it obligations, the ministry will consider taking further action. ‘‘If the board cannot demon- strate satisfactory action and outcomes within an appropriate time frame we will need to consider statutory intervention support to help the school to ensure the issues are resolved. ‘‘That action is not currently necessary and we are focused on giving the school board the opportunity to take immediate, positive action in response to Cleave Hay’s report. Casey says the ministry is aware of the community’s views on the issues surrounding the school and is ‘‘committed’’ to restoring the public’s confidence in Waitaki Boys’. Waitaki Boys’ High School board of trustees chairman Garry McLeod says he is ‘‘confident’’ the board can resolve the highlighted issues promptly. 6248640AA tions were accepted without amendment and we have since been focusing on how we can move things forward.’’ McLeod said the board was taking Hay’s nine recommendations ‘‘very seriously’’ and is ‘‘acting on them accordingly’’. The board will also consider other recommendations to come from the Education Review Office visit. In June, Hay was asked to investigate if there is a culture of bullying at the school, issues around high staff turnover, whether staff felt unsupported, whether accurate information had been given on scholarship and boarding funding and whether criticism of relationships with other schools were valid. Several other issues were brought to Hay’s attention during his four-day visit to Oamaru in June, when he conducted 28 interviews with current and ex-staff, parents and community members. They included a lack of confi- dence in the school’s student management system, a feeling that the school’s board was ‘‘not trustworthy’’ and ‘‘in the rector’s pocket’’, the state of the school’s buildings and grounds, a growing drugs culture and concern for the school’s reputation and inclusiveness. The recommendations are to fully investigate all reported matters, conduct reviews of all school-based systems, employment processes, staff welfare, student welfare, conduct exit interviews with staff who have left in the past 12 months, a full review of governance practices and the performance of the board and complete and satisfactory processing of all formal complaints. McLeod said that despite issues raised in the report, the school’s results had improved and the school was still one of the highest achieving boys’ schools in the country. Ernie Hill Ernie moved from Waianakarua to Weston on Monday 12th May. He escaped soon after and we would dearly love to have our special fur man back. He is Dave’s constant companion and he knows that Dave is not well, spends hours lying with Dave. He is quite shy but if you see him and call to him he may come to you. He answers to Ernie, Ern, matey boy and sometimes Charlie. He was a rescued feral kitten but the vet says he is 99% Abyssinian. He is not the normal looking moggy, has a large nose and very tiger like with brown ticking on his undercoat. Ernie is 13 years old and has never moved house before. If you see him please call us on 434 5644 or 02771 20141. Trish and Dave Hill 9 Ascot Road Weston A safety message from Net A safety message from Network W Do not excavate with machinery until you have confi rmed the esence or not, of ground cables. For the location of underground cables contact Network Waitaki 440 220 The electricity company that Delivers power in North Otago Stay Alert – 0800 440 220 Stay Alive 6164301AP